Most energy databases are unfit for the use of advanced analytical tools, causing forgone opportunities that arise from advanced ICT solutions. This adds to the problem that the transition towards low-carbon energy systems requires the integration of interdisciplinary and complex data. “We are observing an ever-growing graveyard of energy databases and data platforms,” says EERAdata coordinator Valeria Jana Schwanitz, Professor at HVL. “On the other hand, the availability of new data collection and analysis techniques is boosting data-driven research in the energy field. It allows us for instance to advance our understanding of how social phenomena shape the energy system.”
However, the growing degree of complexity and uncertainty through the integration of different types of data streams and numerous interlinkages requires new concepts and infrastructures. They are a prerequisite for to enabling the documentation and reproducibility of scientific results. Transparent management of data provides the basis for industry to develop new solutions and for society to choose, monitor, and implement sustainable transition pathways. For example, metadata mappings allow to compare technologies and depict systematically their comparative advantages and disadvantages.